The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for automatically providing positioning holes on a film material, and more particularly to an apparatus with a cutter unit for making a mask film and for forming positioning holes on a film material while moving the cutter unit in X- and Y-directions thereon.
It is well known to use a so-called "pin-and-punch system" in a pre-process. In the "pin-and-punch system", a pair of registering pins are provided at a predetermined position e.g. on an original holder of a process camera, where a film material, e.g. mask film having a desired opaque mask pattern, is mounted together with an original to be masked. On the other hand, a pair of positioning holes engagable with the registering pins are provided on both the film material and on the original. With this the film material is precisely positioned on the original holder of the process camera, so that an undesired image of the original is masked by the mask film so that only a desired image thereof is exposed.
For providing such positioning holes on a film material, several types of punching devices are supplied to the market. One such conventional punching devices is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,365 issued to Hashimoto et al.
Indeed the Hashimoto et al patent has an advantage that it can be used in preparing positioning holes on a film material for a specific standard of the pin-and-punch system, but it is necessary to change a punching device when using a different standard of a pin-and-punch system.
In fact, several manufacturers adopt different standards in respect of such pin-and-punch systems, particularly as concerns the length between positioning holes and the diameter thereof. The manufacturers supply to the market their apparatus which meets only their own standards. Consequently it is inconvenient for a large number of users to purchase and furnish the necessary number of punching devices and adapt them for different standards which pertain to different manufacturers.
Moreover, the Hashimoto et al patent is suitable for preparing of relatively small sized film materials, where only one pair of positioning holes may ordinarily be provided and only along one edge of the film material. So long as its use is for such purpose, the Hashimoto et al patent may be sufficiently useful. But it is very difficult and troublesome, though not impossible, to provide positioning holes on a relatively large sized film material, where it is often necessary to provide positioning holes along all four edges of the film material.